


All The Things We Never Said

by AtlantaAirport



Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Genre: I like hurting my characters and this is what happens, Non-Graphic Violence, mostly just Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:15:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28850445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtlantaAirport/pseuds/AtlantaAirport
Summary: The Nerevarine, Veresa Dralayn, defeats Dagoth Ur and completes her prophecy. It doesn't feel as victorious as most would expect.
Relationships: (IMPLIED), Dagoth Ur & Indoril Nerevar
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	All The Things We Never Said

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted from a prompt on Tumblr, was one of my favorite pieces I've written so I decided to post it here too. Hope you enjoy!

For the second time, Veresa felt a rush of emotions that weren’t really her own as she looked at someone. She felt pain, sorrow, anger and betrayal, yet at the same time love. She wouldn’t admit it, but some part of her had been afraid she wouldn’t know what to say to him, this person who had been in her dreams, and had been practically her brother in another life.

She did now.

He wanted to ask her questions. Before the end. She merely nodded in agreement, still processing everything and waited. She wished she could see him without the mask, but at the same time she feared to.

“Are you really Nerevar reborn?”

She had both expected that and not; he had referred to her by only that name so far, so she assumed he believed it to be true. But perhaps he wanted to know her own opinion. When she finally spoke, her voice shook slightly but was still strong, and she showed him the ring she knew he’d recognize as proof. “I am his reincarnation. I am not Nerevar himself, I don’t have his memories, not beyond feelings and flashbacks, or strange dreams. But in truth.. Yes, I suppose I am.”

“That is-” He began to speak again, but she interrupted despite herself. She needed to say this.

“Voryn,” She squeezed her eyes tightly shut for a moment and when she opened them, the expression on her face was one of deep sadness. “Like I said, I don’t truly remember what happened, or how things were. But I do know this, and I knew it from the moment I walked in here: Nerevar loved you. Just as he loved the Tribunal. I know it didn’t have to end like this, it shouldn’t have! And for that, I am so sorry. The Heart destroyed all of us, and I’m sorry…”

Us. She’d never referred to those events as her own history before, but in that moment she could see, feel no difference. She wanted to run away, or to embrace him, but she knew neither would change anything.

This could only end one way.

She couldn’t see the emotion behind his mask, but she could hear it clearly in his voice when he finally spoke. “You are more like him than you will ever know.” He spoke softly, almost gently. “I mourn that it must end this way as well. I want to know this, too. If you win, what will you do with the Heart?”

She knew what she was going to do with the Tools and the Heart. But she couldn’t bear to tell him. “I’m sorry, but that must remain a secret for now.”

He sounded almost interested. “Well. Perhaps there may be surprises in store for me yet. Or perhaps you obscure your plans on principle. Or perhaps you are an instinctive bluffer. No matter. My final question is: if I had offered to let you join me, would you have surrendered Wraithguard, Sunder, and Keening to me to seal your oath?”

That was easy. She was sympathetic to him and his House, but she knew his madness had gone too far. She could never allow him to start conquering and destroying the other races, and indeed their own people as well. “No, I would never surrender the Tools. And I would never join your current cause.”

“Thank you for your forthright response. Unless you have anything more to say, you are the challenger. I await your first blow.”

She steeled herself. She was going to do this. She knew she had to do this. But there, inside Red Mountain at the sight of so much history, it felt so completely unfair. Why did everything have to fall apart because of the stupid Heart? And why did she have to be the one to do this, not only to brave the danger of facing a God and his armies, but fighting what she knew was a broken man who’d once been a friend?

This was so, so hard.

Eventually she drew her sword, closed her eyes, and swung it to begin the battle. It was blocked, of course, but now that the fight had started she could simply focus on that.

They fought long and hard in that chamber, until she dealt what she believed was a killing blow. He seemed to die right there. But then as she entered the Heart chamber, he was there again and he spoke to her, taunted her.

“What a fool you are. I’m a god, how can you kill a god? What a grand and intoxicating innocence. How could you be so naive? There is no escape. No recall or intervention can work in this place. Come, lay down your weapons, it is not too late for my mercy.”

Intoxicating. She silently noted the use of that particular word with interest before attacking again, this time with the intention of simply getting around him, and to the Heart. She knew it would be her only chance of stopping him. She ignored his taunts and laughs, and eventually she forced her way past him to the bridge leading to the Heart and Akulakhan. Immediately she pulled Sunder from her belt and began the process of the Heart’s destruction. She barely heard his screamed objections until she saw it clearly die in front of her, and turned only to hear his last words whispered.

“Too late… This is the end. The bitter, bitter end.”

“I’m sorry,” She breathed one more time before he was consumed in the Mountain’s flames with Akulakhan, and Veresa was left alone again, with the broken heart of a dead god and her own quiet tears. This was necessary, and she was grateful that she was able to save her people and indeed the world from his madness, but somehow it didn’t feel like a great victory. It just felt bitter.


End file.
